Director of county's historical museum resigns

Willet Boyer III has resigned just 21 months after convincing the County Commission to toss out the group that had managed the facility for the previous 15 years.

By Bill ThompsonStaff writer

The director of Marion County's historical museum is history, himself.Willet Boyer III has resigned just 21 months after convincing the County Commission to toss out the group that had managed the facility for the previous 15 years."My passion has always been teaching the students (at the College of Central Florida) and doing the field work, and I'd like to focus more on that," Boyer explained in interview on Monday. He resigned on Nov. 30."It's been an honor. It's been wonderful to be able to do what we've been able to do there. I'm pleased with the results," Boyer added. "But I've done just about everything I can do there."Boyer blamed a weak economy and the space limitations at East Hall, the building at the McPherson Governmental Complex on Ocala's east side that houses the museum, for preventing him from delivering on the vision he offered two years ago.It also was becoming increasingly difficult to "wear two hats," as a museum curator and an educator, he said.Vanessa Thomas, president of the board of directors for the Marion County Historical Association, the nonprofit group that oversees the museum, said Boyer had resigned to "explore other employment opportunities."She said she could not say more about Boyer's departure at this time, but also suggested more details about Boyer's decision to quit might be forthcoming at the next meeting of the county Historical Commission, an advisory board that reports to the County Commission. The meeting is scheduled for Jan. 7.Boyer's resignation seems to leave the newly overhauled museum in a lurch. Two years ago the County Commission dumped the Marion County Museum of History Corp., which had operated the facility since 1995, and went with Boyer's group, Ancient Ones Archaeological Society of North Central Florida.Boyer's organization was the only one to answer the commission's request for a professional museum operator.Unlike Boyer, a trained archeologist on the faculty of CF, the museum's previous managers were not professional historians.Commissioners were responding in part to complaints about the facility's uneven hours of operation and stale displays.Boyer promised an ambitious plan to update the museum with richer, more vivid exhibits from a wider array of sources, improved accessibility and funding sources that did not include county taxpayers.The museum, he vowed, would present more than 10,000 years of local history with support from corporate, nonprofit and individual sponsors.To a certain extent, he succeeded. But Thomas said some promises never came to fruition.For example, she said, Boyer told the association that he was backed by a benefactor that could supply $180,000 toward the museum's annual operating costs.According to the proposal Boyer offered the County Commission in January 2011, he intended to fund the museum's expenses by finding 300 donors who could give $600 each, or 600 donors who would pay $300 apiece.He also sought to raise money through grants from government agencies and national foundations."It never materialized," Thomas noted.The association at one point was left scrambling to raise $20,000 — with a matching grant from the Felburn Foundation, a philanthropic group — in order to cover the costs.Boyer acknowledged that financing was an obstacle — one that grew as the local economy shrank."We did secure some grants, but they were not as much as I had hoped for," Boyer said. "With the economy as poor as it has been, it was frustrating."While Boyer believes he raised the bar intellectually and for the exhibits, he wanted to do more.For instance, he had sought to present more of Marion County's more recent history, touting places like Six Gun Territory, and he wanted to highlight pieces of the recent discovery of Hernando de Soto's camps in the area.Again, however, those plans were deflated by a lack of funding and floor space.Thomas said the association's seven trustees and a dozen volunteers will ensure the museum stays open during its normal hours and that the exhibits will remain in place.One exhibit — a bottle display from the colonial period — was pulled temporarily because of the uncertainty at the facility. But she expects it to return.Meanwhile, the trustees will continue to hunt for someone who's qualified to manage the museum — even if the association lacks the money to pay him or her."It's a wonder that a history museum was able to rise," said Thomas, echoing Boyer's complaints about the economy. "We have felt very blessed.Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or bill.thompson@starbanner.com.